INSTITUTE NOTES

National Office and branch activities

Auckland

In conjunction with the New Zealand United States Council, a discussion with Peter McKenzie, the 2024 NZUS Media Fellowship winner, was held on 19 August. He spoke about the evolving US–China relations and their impact on New Zealand and the Pacific.

The following meetings were also held:

1 Aug Andrew Wierzbicki (NZIIA Board member), ‘Crafting New Zealand’s Defence Policy: Misconceptions and Challenges’.

8 Aug Dr Reuben Steff (senior lecturer in geopolitics and international relations, University of Waikato), ‘ “Are we all realists now?” New Zealand’s Geopolitics and the US–China Competition’.

1 Oct Prof Todd Belt provided an in-depth analysis of the 2024 US election and its global ramifications, exploring candidate strategies and crucial voter demographics.

Christchurch

On 23 July Prof Harsh V. Pant, vice president of the Observer Research Foundation, India’s foremost think tank on international relations, gave a zoom presentation on ‘Modi 3.0, and India’s Global Outreach’.

Dr James To (Asia New Zealand Foundation) addressed the branch on 3 October on ‘Growing New Zealand’s Competence in Asia’.

Hawke’s Bay

The following meetings were held:

1 Aug Suzannah Jessep (chief executive, Asia New Zealand Foundation and NZIIA Board member), ‘New Zealand’s Asia Outlook’.

27 Sep HE Ömür Ünsay, Turkish ambassador to New Zealand.

Nelson

The following meetings were held:

30 Jul Vangelis Vitalis (MFAT’s deputy secretary New Zealand Trade and Economic Group), ‘New Zealand’s Export Future’.

10 Sep HE Harinder Sidhu (Australian high commissioner to New Zealand).

Palmerston North

On 17 July the branch convened an expert panel to discuss ‘Pacific Security: Why it Matters to Aotearoa’ in a meeting sponsored by the Southeast Asia CAPE. The panellists were Associate Prof Anna Powles, Dr José Sousa Santos and former deputy chief of army in the New Zealand Defence Force Chris Parsons MNZM, DSD. They were hosted by branch board member Daniel Garnett.

On 19 September, in conjunction with the Palmerston North City Council and the ASEAN New Zealand Business Council, the branch held a meeting on ‘ASEAN: Open Doors for Agritech’, which delved into the dynamic opportunities for New

Zealand businesses in South-east Asia, with a particular focus on food and agribusiness. Participants included HE Waravuth Pouapinya (ambassador of Thailand and chair of ASEAN Committee, Wellington), Peter Kell (unit manager, MFAT’s Economic Division) and Mark Piper (CEO, New Zealand Plant and Food).

Wairarapa

On 19 September Martin Harvey, the immediate past New Zealand high commissioner to Canada, addressed the branch.

Wellington

The NZIIA Wellington student group held a panel event on ‘New Zealand’s Stance on AUKUS’, with speakers including Dr Iati Iati, Nicky Hager and Dr Reuben Steff, and on 16 July held a student mixer event at the Hunter Lounge with Mike Asplet from the Ministry of Defence. On 14 August there was a student roundtable with EU Ambassador HE Lawrence Meredith at the Kelburn Campus.

On 15 August the branch staged their inaugural international film evening with a screening of French film The Taste of Things at Light House Cuba cinema. Prior to the film Eric Soulier, cultural counsellor of the French embassy, provided introductory comments on the background and directorship of the film.

A youth roundtable, organised in conjunction with the Caribbean Council (New Zealand), was held with visiting Caribbean students on 2 September. A report is to be found elsewhere in this issue.

On 16 September, in conjunction with the UN Association, the branch held an interactive dialogue on ‘Inequalities in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in New Zealand and the Wider Asia–Pacific Region’. It was led by Karim Dickie, NZIIA Board member and UNANZ president, and Joy Dunsheath MNZM, executive vice-chair of WFUNA, in conversation with Pio Smith, Asia–Pacific regional director for the UN Fund for Population Activities.

The branch’s annual Careers Without Borders was held at Victoria University of Wellington on 18 September.

On 27 September the branch held its second diplomatic tree planting day in Ōwhiro Bay supported by the embassy of the EU Delegation to New Zealand. Representatives from the embassies of the European Union, Italy, Germany, France, Ireland, Australia, the United States, East Timor, Argentina and the United Kingdom planted a number of native tree varieties on a sunny Wellington spring day followed by lunch.

The following meetings were also held:

23 Jul Kevin Vuong (Canadian member of Parliament), ‘Canada’s Challenges with Foreign Interference: The Current Landscape, and Lessons for New Zealand’.

28 Aug Andrew Wierzbicki (NZIIA Board member), ‘Crafting New Zealand Defence Policy: Some Reflections on the Challenges and Misconceptions’.

11 Sep Joanne Ou (mission head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New Zealand), ‘Democracy, Peace and Stability — Shared Values of a New Zealand and Taiwan Partnership’. This was the branch’s Spring Lecture. (The edited text of Ou’s address is to be found elsewhere in this issue.)

25 Sep Andy Cameron (senior consultant at large, International Energy Agency), ‘Energy, Geopolitics, and the Return of Industrial Policy: a Kiwi View from Inside the International Energy Agency’.

4 Oct Prof Todd Belt (George Washington University, Washington DC), ‘The State of the 2024 Election in the United States’.